


A Redemption in the Making

by KairaKara101



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Gen, Luche Lazarus Centric, Memory Alteration, Redemption, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-20 01:58:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12422688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairaKara101/pseuds/KairaKara101
Summary: It didn't end with his body burning up due to the Ring of the Lucii, even if he wished it. No, it began with his body burning from the Ring of the Lucii and maybe hindsight it was the Astral Bahamut's fault that it started, but by the Six he's pretty much done with being the Astrals's pawn.





	1. Afterlife is Shit

_If you were given a second chance to live your life, would you take it? What would you do with it?_

A man sat thinking about the words as he unconsciously rubbed at his burn scars. He scoffed softly as he stood up and glanced over at the being eluding power and unearthliness.

“I find it funny that you think someone like me should be given a second chance.” He answered while staring down at all the living people below his feet. “Shouldn't you be giving the second chance to someone like Nyx Ulric or something?”

_He would have done as he has always done. You are a much more interesting chess piece._

He shook his head unamused. The people below his feet were struggling to survive the eternal night. The World in Ruins was what the unearthliness being had come to call the eternal night. 

“Spare me the games. What do you want with me specifically?” He questioned as he rubbed his arms. He can't feel the pain of the burns anymore, but it doesn't make him any less conscious about them. He noticed a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. “By the Six, Bear is still alive?” He felt the otherworldly being turn their attention down at the puny human fighting against the daemons. 

_A familiar face? Ah, Libertus Ostium, Nyx Ulric's childhood friend from Galahd. He was one of the last. Everyone he knew died in the Attack on Insomnia. One that you had a huge play in._

He growled at the being and turned to face them with some fire in his eyes. The being smiled serenely as if hoping that he'd react that way. He stopped and calmed his nerves. He returned his attention back towards the World of Ruins, watching as the human race toiled and fought to survive until the Chosen One came to return the dawn to the land. 

_You never answered my question. I am curious, would you take it?_

“What is the point? You expecting to see some type of different outcome if I was given the second chance? I'm quite sure I'd act exactly as I did the first time around.” He answered strolling forward to move the world below his feet to a different location. He noticed when the being floated next to him and gave him a grin. “What?”

_Such an interesting chess piece._

The being brought their fingers up to his chin and lifted it to get a better look into his eyes. He flinched and stepped away from the being. The being allowed for their arm to drop to their side studying the man as he took in the destruction that the darkness wrought. 

_You could help change this._

“Change it to what degree? How will one man help to change that eternal darkness?” He inquired as he watched impassively as a child was killed by a daemon and their mother scream out for their child, hopelessly. 

_Do you not care for your fellow humans?_

“Hard to when you're dead.” He deadpanned as he continued to watch with a morbid curiosity as the daemon torn into the child. The being closed their eyes sadly at the sight. “You know, I doubt my opinion really will matter when it comes to you people.” The being turned to focus their intense gaze on him. “Even if I didn't want to, what is making you from going ahead with your idea?”

_You forget that you have free-will. We may go ahead and decide to give you a second chance, but that does not ensure that you will change your decisions. I cannot force you to do what you do not wish to do._

“Hmm, yet you will force a second chance upon me.” He replied nonchalantly as he continued forward in his stroll of the World of Ruins.

_You feel yourself without heart, but mind you a heart does exist within you._

“Heh, a heart? You mean the charred one?” He scoffed weakly, “I doubt my heart is still warm, it's probably ashes by now.” He stopped to focus onto another familiar face. He was killing daemons with his katana as he ordered his men around on the outskirts of Lestallum. “Astrals, leave it to the Marshal to still be alive after everything. That man just won't keel over and die.” The being gazed down at the group of humans and smiled pleasantly.

_I highly doubt he'll succumb to death so easily. He is a stubborn man after all._

“Oh, how curious.” The man said as he tilted his head to look at the being next to him. “You're fond of the Immortal. Any reason why?” The being continued watching the Immortal without answering, their attention fully focused on the Immortal. The man turned his gaze towards the scene and sighed softly. “Why me, exactly?”

_Because you are a major player in the game. You're resourceful and I believe that will assist you in the coming days._

“Sounds like you've decided on what you're going to do to me.” The man pointed out resigned. The being moved in front of him and cupped his face with their hands. He stared back into the being's silhouetted eyes unable to move. 

_Yes, I have decided. You have time to make your decision to follow the same path or create a new one. The choice is yours._

He felt himself falling backward as the being's hands slowly released him from their grasp. If he looked carefully he could see the being smile almost knowingly as his vision slowly became fuzzy at the edges. He briefly wondered if he could flip the otherworldly being off before he fully lost consciousness. Hindsight twenty-twenty, he should have flipped the otherworldly being off when he had the chance considering all the things that would come to pass.


	2. Remembrance = Plans

Waking up should never feel like falling down a cliffside. He opened his eyes slowly as his focus came back into focus. He glanced around his surroundings and noticed the woods nearby and those protective glyphs on the ground around him. A safe haven outside of Insomnia, then. He pinched the bridge of his nose before dropping his arm to the ground. Eyes staring up at the dark sky. He's not sure how he ended up here or what the date was.

“That was one mighty ass concussion you got there, Lu.” A voice stated from his left side and slightly above him. He did not hear the man move, let alone noticed that there was a presence nearby. He turned his head. There was a man. He seemed to be well built and there were weapons attached on his hip. The man was holding onto some firewood as he dropped it next to the fire. He frowned as he studied in the man in front of him.

“Who the fuck are you?” He blurted out as he pushed himself up to lean on his arms. His body was sore and his ribs were hurting. Was he in a fight of some sort? Not many ways to get a concussion outside of Insomnia. The man frowned as he kneeled down next to him and laid a hand on his forehead. He flinched away from the hand, which the man allowed to drop to the man's knee.

“I'm Damien Luke, your childhood friend, who likes to drag your sorry ass around Duscae to hunt monsters and fed you alcohol when you were seventeen because I forgot that you weren't of age yet you mature son of a bitch.” He replied looking concerned after no retort. “Please don't tell me you have amnesia, Luche.”

“Ask me that again in the morning.” Luche responded calmly, before laying back down and promptly passing out once more. Damien shook his head as he tended to the fire.

****

Morning came with the cool sunrise with the colors slowly bleeding into the sky. Luche bolted up as he tried to catch his breath. He gulped as he glanced down at his hands. If he stared hard enough, he could see the faint burn marks. Luche dragged a hand down his face as he exhaled slowly. It wasn't a dream. He did burn up by the Ring of the Lucii. Ugh, his ribs are definitely bruised. He blinked back the white specks in his vision as he turned to take in what the haven looked like. The tent was pitched and the fire was still warm even though the fire was out. Of course, Damien was sitting on the edge of the haven watching the sunrise.

“I should kick your ass off this rock,” Luche stated calmly as he pushed himself up onto his feet. Damien turned his head to gaze at him walking unsteadily over.

“Yeah, you do that with those bruised ribs of yours.” Damien scoffed as he returned his attention back to the sunrise. “Glad to see you still got your memory, Lu.”

“Heh, sad to say you can't get rid of me that easily.” Luche replied as he used Damien's shoulder to help him sit down next to him. “I don't remember what happened though. Fill me in?”

“We were fighting some Liches. I think you lost focus for a moment and that's when they attacked you.” Damien answered shrugging. “I thought you were going to break the poor tree.” Luche shoved Damien's shoulder as he took in the sight of the sunrise. 

“Yeah, that poor tree.” Luche deadpanned as he rubs his bruised ribs, numbing himself from the pain. Damien grabbed Luche's hand, stopping him from hurting himself more. 

“Lu, stop.” Damien stated as he pulled Luche's hand away from the injuries. Luche dropped his hands to his lap as he sat there quietly thinking. Damien studied Luche's paler than usual complexion with a growing frown. “Lu? What are you thinking? I can't read your mind and you always think too much.”

“Things,” Luche whispered quietly, before a grin started to form, “You want to do something dangerous?” Damien rolled his eyes fondly as he stood up while stretching.

“You and dangerous things. Are you going to ever grow up?” Damien questioned before glancing down at him. “I'm in Lu. Always.” Luche raised one brow at him.

“No questions?” Luche inquired just as Damien shoved him lightly on the shoulder.

“You piece of shit, of course, I have questions. But there's no way in hell I'm letting you do it alone.” Damien responded calmly, “Your ma and pa would kill me.” Luche frowned as he glanced down at his slightly scarred hands. 

“If I had known then, what I knew now. They'd still be alive, Damien.” Luche whispered as he got up slowly. “If I had remembered things I remembered now, I could have saved them.” Damien sighed as he gave Luche's shoulder a light squeeze.

“You cannot dwell on the past, Lu. They would have wanted you to....” Damien took a deep breath and gave him a shaky smile. “Be strong, Lu.” Luche sighed as he gently pushed his hand off. 

“We got work to do.” Luche stated calmly. His grey eyes held a sharp glint as he went to pack up their gear. Damien closed his eyes briefly before walking back and assisting with dismantling the campsite.

“What is this dangerous idea of yours?” Damien inquired as he dismantled the tent and packed the tent inside of its bag. 

“I was thinking that I needed to infiltrate Niflheim.” Luche stated nonchalantly, kneeling on the ground next to the sleeping bag that he was folding up. Damien paused as he turned to Luche with an incredulous stare. 

“What? That's fucking crazy, why do you need to go to Niflheim?” Damien laid the bag down as he stood up to clean up the chairs. Luche shrugged briefly.

“I need to confirm some information that I've gathered.” Luche replied as he laid the sleeping bag down to start on the other one. 

“Do you really need to go to Niflheim for that?” Damien started on the next chair after putting the other bag down. “Why not attack one of the Niflheim bases that have been constructed all over Duscae?” Luche leveled Damien with a dry stoic expression.

“Do you know how to hack computers? Or know anyone who can?” Luche argued as he finished up the bags and left them in the pile next to everything else. He stood up and hissed as his bruised ribs disagreed with him. Damien straightened up and turned his body to fully face Luche with one of his unamused stern expressions. 

“No, but I could look into it.” Damien answered while crossing his arms. “You can't keep me half-way in the dark about this.”

“I can and I will.” Luche deadpanned as he rubbed his chest with the heels of his right palm.

“Don't you dare, Lu.” Damien said sternly, crossing his arms. His eyes followed Luche's hand for a bit before he returned his attention to Luche's eyes. “And I'll find you something that works. So don't go off to Niflheim. Plus, you better let those ribs heal.” Damien ordered pointing at him.

“I got it, chill.” Luche replied as he picked up the equipment putting it on his shoulder. “We still have to finish up the next hunt that we took.” 

“Lu, when do you need the hacker?” Damien questioned while grabbing the bag with the tent. 

“Sooner the better.” Luche replied calmly glancing over his shoulder. “I have many things I need to know about.”

“Alright, I'll see to it as soon as possible. Now, let's go and kill those Mesmenirs.” Damien stated walking past Luche to pack up the car. Luche shook his head and followed after him. 

“I have a lot of plans to make. Can I count on your assistance?” Luche inquired softly as he pushed the equipment into the trunk and shut the door with his arm.

“Never need to ask, Luche. I will always have your back.” Damien answered with a wide grin and smacked his shoulder playfully. “Now come on, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get a drink.” Luche leveled him with an unamused blank face. Damien laughed as he walked around the car to the driver's seat. Luche rolled his eyes and slid into the passenger's seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks all are greatly appreciated! :D


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